International Anthem
LA quintet SML announce “Spontaneous Music Live,” out June 26th on International Anthem. After two studio albums collaged from live fragments, the band strip the editing away: two side-length pieces of unedited improvisation, recorded to analog tape during their December residency at Zebulon. Lead piece “Roundabouts,” the 24-minute B-side, is streaming now — SML in the room, fully in the moment.
Rob Mazurek has released Alternate Moon Cycles Live at The Land School, a Qobuz-exclusive live recording documenting his reunion with Matthew Lux and Mikel Patrick Avery at International Anthem’s Southside Chicago headquarters. Alternate Moon Cycles was the very first release in the IA catalogue — and its return, eleven years on, carries the weight and resonance of ceremony. Watch the film by Brian Ashby.
Whitney Johnson, Lia Kohl, and Macie Stewart today release their debut trio album BODY SOUND via International Anthem. Assembled across sessions in Chicago and Knoxville and shaped using analog tape machines, the album is deep, melancholy, and triumphant — a stunning collection from three of the city’s most compelling experimentalists. New single burning | counting (sleeping) is streaming now.
Gregory Uhlmann’s ‘Extra Stars’ is a fluent and fluid album of thirteen brief, breezy, deceptively light tracks that flow over diverse territories while retaining their identity. An album obsessed with natural processes — some organic and cellular, others more cosmic — it showcases Uhlmann as guitarist, arranger, composer and improviser, his musical curiosity working in tandem with his expansive imagination.
Gregory Uhlmann shares “Burnt Toast,” the second single from Extra Stars (out March 6 via International Anthem), demonstrating his distinctive ability to transform guitar tones in real time. The track moves through warring syncopations, synthetic glissandos, and stereo warbles, showcasing the rhythm-forward approach that defines his forthcoming album. Watch him performing live at International Anthem Studios in Chicago.
Whitney Johnson, Lia Kohl, and Macie Stewart unveil performance film for “Stone | Piece,” directed by Derrick Alexander at The Land School. Blending strings with analog tape loops, the video captures a fresh, ambient take on the composition. The release coincides with their sold-out support dates for Andrew Bird’s Gezelligheid shows in Chicago, teasing a new album for 2026.
Los Angeles supergroup SML have shared “Chicago Four,” the latest single (accompanied by a video) from their highly anticipated second album, How You Been, set for release on November 7th via International Anthem. Continuing their unique method of sculpting studio albums from live improvisations, the track uses a recording from Chicago’s legendary Empty Bottle as its foundation.
Chicago Underground Duo’s Hyperglyph is a stunning return, a masterful fusion of free jazz and otherworldly exploration. Rob Mazurek’s trumpet and synthesizers blend with Chad Taylor’s percussion, creating a relentless, vibrant album that feels both familiar and entirely new. It’s an exhilarating, multi-layered work of pure invention.
Tom Skinner, the dynamic drummer for The Smile and Sons of Kemet, has announced his new solo album, Kaleidoscopic Visions, arriving September 26th via Brownswood and International Anthem. The intricate title track is available now, previewing a record featuring collaborations with Meshell Ndegeocello and Portishead’s Adrian Utley. Skinner will support the release with US tour dates this October and a London show in November.
Poet and vocalist Saul Williams and renowned percussionist and producer Carlos Niño have announced Saul Williams meets Carlos Niño & Friends at TreePeople, a new live album out August 28, 2025, via International Anthem. Recorded outdoors in Los Angeles, the improvised performance features an all-star ensemble including Kamasi Washington and Nate Mercereau. The lead single, “Sound then Words,” is available to stream now.
After an 11-year hiatus, the pioneering Chicago Underground Duo—Rob Mazurek and Chad Taylor—return with their new album, Hyperglyph, out August 15th via International Anthem. Lead single “Click Song” offers a potent taste of their evolved sound, blending blown-out horn chants, muscular polyrhythms, and deep synthesised bass.